Remedies and treatment for bedwetting in adolescents

Untreated bedwetting can persist in 1-2% of adolescents. While this figure may not seem high, it remains very distressing for a teenager who has to deal with the daily frustrations of bedwetting. Many girls and boys cope with this situation by isolating themselves and eventually accepting that there is no solution to the problem. But many worry about not having a single dry night at their age.

Puberty does not "cure" bedwetting, so there is no reason to wait until puberty to begin treatment. It is always extremely embarrassing for a teenager to miss out on all the fun of going out because of bedwetting. This situation leads teenagers to lack self-confidence and, worse, to put themselves down. The daily laundry can be stressful for even the most understanding families.

WHAT CAN YOU DO AND WHAT TREATMENT?

As parents, it is your duty not to downplay your child's bedwetting. We regularly hear from parents who admit to having put off this problem, hoping that "it will go away on its own"!

To begin, there are some simple strategies:

Most families have tried these strategies, but they need to be repeated every day to ensure they are properly assimilated.

• The routine and bedtime
• Double urination 30 minutes before bedtime and again immediately before falling asleep.
• Drinking regularly throughout the day. This could mean taking a water bottle to school. Drinking regularly encourages teenagers to use the toilet frequently at home and at school.
• Make sure your child is not constipated and has regular bowel movements.
• Do not punish or ridicule a teenager, even within the family.

Solve the problem

The best solution for bedwetting is to use a bedwetting alarm (the "pee stop" alarm). These alarms are perfect for teenagers who can't naturally detect when they need to urinate while they sleep. The alarms are equipped with moisture sensors that signal the presence of urine with an alarm and/or vibrations, even the first drops. This method alerts the teenager during their sleep so they can begin to make the connection between their brain and bladder. Your child may be a very deep sleeper at first, and parental help is perfectly normal in the beginning to wake them up. This is how most treatments begin, even with very young children.

The parents' job is to go to their room, wake them up, have them turn off the alarm, and walk with them to the bathroom. Over time, teenagers will learn to recognize the signs of a full bladder and will automatically go to the toilet before urinating.

The good news is that bedwetting alarms work just as effectively in teenagers as in young children. It usually takes a little longer for teenagers to achieve complete dryness, which is a small amount of time considering the problem has persisted for years.

Recommended alarms for teenagers

At In our store, we particularly recommend wireless alarms such as the Rodger Wireless or one of the two systems from Uriflex (Mickey or Liberty). Underwear with sensors is worn exactly like normal underwear and is easy to put on, regardless of whether the teenager is tired or not.

An important feature of wireless alarms is that your teenager has to get out of bed to turn them off. The receiver must be in the room but away from their bed so that it continues to sound until they turn the alarm off.

Some teenagers who are deep sleepers can't use shoulder-mounted alarms because they turn them off and immediately fall back asleep. Wireless alarms avoid this problem. If your bedroom is on a different floor than your child's, you can order an additional receiver for your room to ensure they get up when the alarm sounds. A vibrating pad can also be added to some alarms to shake the bed or pillow when the alarm goes off. This is also a way to use them discreetly when you're out and about.

Our advice:

Even if your child has used a bedwetting alarm in the past, it's always worth restarting treatment with a good product and proper guidance. Your child will need to wear the alarm every night, both at home and outside, until 21 consecutive dry nights are achieved, with a minimum of 6 weeks of treatment. Then, continue treatment by using the alarm every other night until another 21 dry nights are achieved. Patience and persistence are important, but various studies show that bedwetting alarms are the only effective long-term treatment.